Antiravel knitted fabrics and method of producing them



1935. G. w. GOETSCH ET AL 2,017,437

ANTIRAVEL KNITTED FABRICS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THEM Filed Nov. 12, .1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 XI/ W l INVENTORS:

WITNESSES:

George W fiaefsc/z L fi Z Z BY oz faflsmmm, gmgm/ WfORNEi S. I

Oct. 15, 1935. G. w. GOETSCH ET AL ANTIRAVEL KNITTED FABRICS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THEM Filed Nov. 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS: fieorye W fifleisck &. BY 0520 FSmeZana,

ATTORNE Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTIRAVEL KNITTED FABRICS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THEM tion of Pennsyl Application November 12, 1932, Serial No. 642,345

12 Claims.

attendant distortion of the fabrics, without sacriflce of smoothness or evenness of texture, and without impairment of the lateral elasticity so essential to stocking fabrics.

The foregoing advantages we realize as hereinafter more fuly explained, in a knit fabric which is characterized by plain courses, and intervening lock stitch rows each consisting of two courses, one a tuck loop course, and the other a course having spaced loops doubled with each other and trebled with single loops of said tuck course.

Afurther object of our invention is to make it possible to expeditiously and economically produce ravel-proof fabric having the indicated characteristics on flat knitting machines of the "Cotton type such as are ordinarily used in the manufacture of full fashioned lace stockings.

Fig. I of the attached drawings is a diagrammatic view showing a fragment of our improved anti-ravel fabric.

Figs. II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X are fragmentary detail views showing successive steps incident to the production of the fabric.

As delineated in Fig. I, the novel anti-ravel fabric of our invention comprises plain knit courses l0 consisting of loops Illa, lllb; and intervening lock stitch rows. each consisting of a fabric course ll wherein adjacent loops Ila. and Nb are doubled with each other, and a tuck course I! with alternate single loops l2b of which the doubled loops Tla and I lb of the course II are trebled and interconnected with corresponding loops lllb of the plain course in. The loop doubling in the courses II is accomplished by lateral displacement of every other loop I la laterally into coincidence with its immediate neighbor llb; and his to be particularly noted that in the illustrated embodiment of our invention, such loop displacement is effected alternately in opposite directions in successive lock stitch rows with consequent staggering of the trebled loops of the latter between adjacent wales of the fabric. ,The tuck loop courses l2 have been stippled merely for the purposes of distinguishing them from the other courses of the fabric.

Anti-ravel fabric characterized as above can be readily produced on an ordinary flat full fashsuch machine is equipped with a lace attachment embodying a point bar. In Figs. lI-VII, I have indicated the needles of the machine at N and the sinkers and knockovers, which cooperate with the needles in forming the fabric loops,-at S and K, and the points of the lace bar at P. As shown in Fig. VIII, the lace bar which we employ has a transfer point P for every other needle N of the machine. In Figs. VIII, IX and X, alternate needles have been designated by the 10 reference character N to=facilitate the understanding of certain steps of the knitting process hereinafter described.

The fabric of Fig. I results as a consequence of repetitions of a knitting cycle as follows:- 1

In Fig. II, the nedles N are raised in readiness to take freshly served yarn Y (for a tuck course l2) laid upon the nibs of the sinkers S which are at this time retracted. The yarn Y is formed into loops in of a course It over the nibs of the 20 sinkers S, as shown in Fig. III, by descent of the needles until their tops come just below the level of the sinker nibs, but the beards of said needles are not pressed at this time, so that the previously formed loops Ila of a course ll of the fabric 5 F are not cast. After the formation of the tuck loops l2a in the manner just explained, the needles N are raised as shown in Fig. IV, carrying said loops up with them. The loops |2a cling to the needles as a consequence of being wedged in the constricted upper portions of the needle hooks, and also as a consequence of their being held in the hooks by frictional action with the needles due to the tendency of said loops to open out or spread laterally under the springiness of the yarn, which, as usual in the knitting of hosiery, is worked in the comb. The measuring of the loops in is accomplished without retraction of the sinkers S so that the nibs of the latter hold down the previously formed loops ll, while said 4 loops l2a are carried up with the needles N as above explained. The lace bar points' P are thereupon brought up against the beards of alternate needles N as in Fig. V, and caused to descend with the needles through the previously 45 formed loops I la as in Fig. VI; The needles and the points then rise together for a time and eventually the points separate from the needles as in an ordinary lace knitting or narrowing cycle, taking the previously formed loops Ha from al- 50 ternate needles as in Figs. VII and VIH and incidentally drawing such loops over the corresponding tuck loops l-2a. The lace bar is then shifted endwise to the extent of one needle and the loops I la now on the point P are thereby 55 while the needles and the points rise again to- I gether, the needles to the feeding position, and the points to their normal position of inactivity as shown in Fig. IX, with the loops a and In respectively around the shanks of the needles N' and N respectively below the needle beards. Fresh yarn Y is then again supplied to all the needles as shown at Fig. IX whereupon said needles descend to form another plain course I Ii from said yarn as shown in Fig; X. Accordingly, the loops IIIa of the new course vlilare drawn through the single loops Ila incidentally cast by theneedles N,;while the loops IIIb are drawn through.=; the trebled loops Ila, IIb and III) concurrently cast-by the needles N, all as shown in Fig. Finally another course is knit to provide loops I I a, I ID in readiness for the starting of. the nextcycle which'is performed in exactlythe same way except for loop transferring in the oppositedirection as described inconnection with Fig.1. If desired however, the transferring may be done always in the one direction throughout the fabric, i. e., either always to theright; oralways to the left.

By varying the spacing of the transfer points P and the extent of shifting of the point bar, corresponding modifications may obviously be determined; in the fabric knit according to our improved method as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Anti-ravel fabric comprising plain knit coursesr-and intervening lock stitch rows each composed of two courses, and one having contiguous loops thereof doubled with each other, and the other course having certain loops thereof trebled with the doubled loops of the first course.

' 2.-Anti-ravel fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein 'the trebled loops ofsuccessive lock stitch rows are staggered between the wales of the fabric.

' 3. Antiravel' fabric comprising plain knit courses; and intervening lock stitch rows each composed of two courses, one having contiguous loops'thereof doubled'with-each other, and the other course having alternate loops' thereof trebled withthe doubled loops of the first course. 4. Anti-rave] fabric in accordance with claim 3 wherein the trebled loops of successive lock contiguous loops of the first course and trebling them with single loops of the tuck course; then knitting a plain course; and continuously repeating the described cycle.

6. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric 10 -in accordance with claim 5 and causing the trebled loops of successive lock stitch rows to be staggered between wales of the fabric.

7. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric which comprises knitting a course of loops; then 15 forming a course of tuck loops; then doubling contiguous loops of the first course and incidently trebling them'withv alternate loops of the tuck course; then knitting a plain course; and continuously repeating the described cycle. 20

8. The'method of producing non-ravel fabric in accordance with claim '7 and causing the trebled loops of successive lock stitch rows to be'staggered between wales of-the fabric.

9. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric 26 on a flat knitting machine having a lace bar with points to correspond with spaced needles, which comprises knitting a course of loops on the needles of the machine; then forming a row of tuck loops on the needles; then, by means of the 30i points of the lace bar, drawing loops from the corresponding needles over the tuck loops on such needles and transferring them to other needles. with incident trebling of the loops so doubled with single loops of the tuck course held on the needles; then drawing a plain course of loops; and continuously repeating the described cycle.

10. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric on a fiat knitting machine in accordance with claim 9, and causing the trebled loops of successive lock stitch rows to be staggered between wales of the fabric by shifting of the point bar in opposite directions. 1

11. Anti-ravel fabric comprising plain knit 5'. courses; and intervening lock stitch rows each composed of two courses and having contiguous wale loops of one such course doubled with each other and trippled with single loops of the other course.

- l2. Anti-ravel fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein the trebledloops of successive lock stitch rows are staggered between the wales of the fabric.

. GEORGE W. GOETSCH.

O'I'lO F. SMETANA. 

